Day 16 – Q 1.How does context or situation determine whether an action is ethical or not? Illustrate.

1. How does context or situation determine whether an action is ethical or not? Illustrate.

संदर्भ या स्थिति यह कैसे निर्धारित करती है कि कोई क्रिया नैतिक है या नहीं? उदाहरण देकर स्पष्ट करें।

Introduction:

What is wrong or right depend on specific situation and personal judgment. , a right or wrong action cannot be viewed in isolation. It depends on circumstances and underlying purpose. Every individual based on his teachings and understanding has the capability to know what is right or wrong.

Body

Ethics is situational:

In ethics, sometimes right and wrong or ethical actions depend upon the situation. There are no universal moral rules or rights – each case is unique and deserves a unique solution. Situation ethics rejects ‘prefabricated decisions and prescriptive rules’. It teaches that ethical decisions should follow flexible guidelines rather than absolute rules, and be taken on a case by case basis. So a person who practices situation ethics approaches ethical problems with some general moral principles rather than a rigorous set of ethical laws and is prepared to give up even those principles if doing so will lead to a greater good.

Context or situation determine the action is ethical or not

Illustration:

• What is wrong or right depend on specific situation and personal judgment. Suppose you found a person victim of road accident and needs to be immediately carried to hospital, otherwise he may die. He needs to be given immediate attention. No vehicle is available, but you see a vehicle nearby parked. It is not a good to take away somebody’s vehicle; however, there is the person who needs help in terms of immediate shift to hospital as otherwise he is on the brink of death. While taking vehicle in the ordinary course may be wrong, but most would also violate that rule in a case like this. Immediately, we would feel that it is right to save the life of the road accident victim. It is because the moral value of life is a higher value than that of protecting property.
• Telling lie is an action generally considered to be wrong by most. Telling truth is considered a virtue as much damage is done to others and to society from too much dishonesty. But what if telling the truth violates higher value in life? A killer asks about whereabouts of your neighbor with intention to harm and murder him. What a person will do in this situation. Hold on to truth and allow your neighbor to be robed of his valuables and life. Despite the fact that people advocate telling truth is a virtue, telling a lie is the right thing to do in that particular situation. It achieves the higher moral value, the preservation of the life and valuables of your neighbor.

 Conclusion

Since circumstances alter cases, situations hold that in practice what in some times and places we call   right is in other times and places wrong. Situation ethics teaches that particular types of action don’t have an inherent moral value – whether they are good or bad depends on the eventual result.